Kings Of The Mountain
by Moon's-Wing
Summary: Basically, a different take on how the famous four met, during the journey. Sanzo has started solo.
1. Chapter 1

The burnette boy tugged on the man's sleeve and pointed further down the mountain. There was a long haired redhead and spiky, dark haired demon approaching. "Oh, it seems we have visitors," the man said, almost pleasantly.

"Friends?" The boy nearly growled the question.

"No, however-" the black haired man grabbed the teen's shoulder. "However, let's find out why they're here first. But why don't you welcome them?"

A wide, devilish smile crossed the boy's face. His golden eyes seemed to glow even more in anticipation. "Okay."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dokugakuji and Gojyo didn't even see him coming. But they sure felt him, in the form of four new gashes on each of their arms.

"What…"

"The hell…?"

"Now, now," a voice above them spoke. "I told you to welcome them. That wasn't very nice, now was it?"

Doku and Gojyo looked in the direction the 'wind' had blown. Staring them down was what appeared to be a teenager.

A demon teenager. "Sorry," he said, although he didn't appear to be anything of the sort.

"What is your business here?" the first voice came again. It was older and much deeper. The two 'visitors' couldn't seem to locate his exact position.

"We are here on behalf of Lord Kougaiji," Doku spoke. The voice laughed.

"And what is it his highness asks of us?" The owner of the mysterious voice came into view. While the teen wore only tattered jeans, this one had worn, loose fitting pants and shirt. Vine-like markings covered what clothing did not. A pair of elongated ears marked him as a demon, just as the boy.

Doku found his own voice first. "Lord Kougaiji asks for you and your partner's assistance.

"Assistance. You must be joking."

'Crap. We're losing him,' Gojyo thought. "He'd be more than happy to make it worth your while. Anything you want."

The man suddenly got a look of deep-seeded hatred in his yellow, silted eyes. He charged up to the redhead, but stopped dead inches from his face. "Anything we want?" he asked, running a clawed finger down the other's throat. Gojyo gulped. It wasn't every day there was a deadly aura enveloping you, a pair of dangerous eyes looking at you like you'd be a delicious dessert.

"Don't flatter yourself," the vine covered demon said suddenly, completely dropping his seemingly obvious intentions. "What I want, no one can give me. Come here again, and you will be killed."

"What about your friend?" Goyjo dared to ask.

"He's free to do as he pleases; he knows that."

Doku and Gojyo turned to look at the teen once more. The sadistic smile on his face showed he only wanted to kill; and once he saw the man leave, so did he.

"Well," Doku sighed. "That went well."

"Then I'm not sure I wanna know what your definition of 'well,'" his brother replied. "In any case, you're reporting to Kou."

"You're such a baby."

"I am not!"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lord Kougaiji's brow furrowed. "And the little one did everything the older one told him?" he asked.

"Yes," Dokugakuji replied.

Yaone stepped forward. "Perhaps if I-"

"No!" all three men said at once.

The woman sighed. "Or perhaps not."

"Yaone," the swordsman tried to explain. "They're far too unpredictable. And the adult one could very well-"

"You've made your point," she replied crossly. "But if they're so dangerous, why do you seek their help?" she asked the demon lord.

"They're strong," Kou replied. "And this monk took out a legion of assassins with just a banishing gun. I want to touch on every possible resource."

"But we're leaving those two alone now, right?" Gojyo asked.

"No."

"What?"

"I'm going to go see them myself tomorrow. Doku, Gojyo, you'll come with me. Yaone, don't even think about following us."

"Hel-lo!" the redhead yelled. "Did someone forget about what that guy said about killing us if we came back?"

"Scared?" his brother taunted.

"No! His aura… it's unstable. Even more than the brat's."

"I won't force either of you," Kou told them. "But I will be going there tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

'Now, I'm not technically disobeying Lord Kougaiji," Yaone told herself late that night. 'He said not to follow him tomorrow; he said nothing about tonight.'

Calming her conscience with the thought, she took a flying dragon into the sky.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The dark haired man woke instantly and sniffed the air briefly. 'A woman. Another from the demon lord? But so late at night?'

He sat up and looked down at the teen beside him's sleeping form. 'No, I won't wake him. Actually, I probably couldn't right now…"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Yaone looked around the wilderness. "This is the right place, isn't it?"

"Depends, who are you looking for?" a deep voice said, directly in back of her. She spun around, aiming her spear at the sound. She saw only a very calm looking demon. Then she saw his markings. 'This is the man they spoke of,' she thought.

'Dear God, what beauty.' "Is there someone you're looking for?" he continued to inquire, moving as close to her as her spear would let him.

"Yes," she stated as firmly as she could. "I do believe you are he."

"Oh? And what does such a lovely creature want with me?"

"I come from Lord Kougaiji."

"Mmm. I had thought so. But why, may I ask, so late at night? And so on your guard?"

After looking at him closely, she lowered her weapon. "Lord Kougaiji doesn't know I have come to see you," she admitted.

"So, you are not on his orders."

"I am here to ask you the same as my comrades did earlier."

"Well, I'm afraid you will receive the same answer they did. Except it would be such a shame to kill one as beautiful as you. Besides, your boyfriend's coming. And if I see him again, he will die."

"What…?" she turned to see Doku running in their direction. "For your information, he is not-" And then saw that she was alone.

"Yaone! What the hell were you thinking?!?!"

"That I wanted to help!" she yelled back at the spiky haired demon. "The three of you just make me sit in that castle and watch Lirin! I'm sick of being considered so weak!"

The man's glare softened slightly. "There are other ways to tell us," he said.

"Think Doku! How many times have I mentioned my feelings on this?"

Stunned, the man thought back. There were more times than he could count that Yaone had mentioned her want to help, including earlier that afternoon.

"How'd you know I was out here, anyway?" the woman asked, still annoyed.

"I was having trouble sleeping, and was looking out the window right when you and the dragon took off. It didn't take rocket science to figure out where you were going."

"Oh."

"Come on, we should get back. And I'll talk to Kou and Gojyo for ya. On one condition."

"What's that?"

"I need to know every word that was just spoken between you and that vine-covered demon. Every word."

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing, but…"

_Questions? Comments? Fruit you'd like to pelt in my general direction?_


	3. Chapter 3

Yaone woke late the next morning. She panicked, seeing such a bright light peeking from around her dark green curtains, but relief set in when she looked at her clock. Still two hours before Lord Kougaiji and the others set out. He had said he'd want to speak with them all beforehand, so she quickly got dressed in the nearest kimono and headed down towards the demon lord's study, where the four of them usually met.

"Well, look at who finally surfaced!" A familiar redhead joked.

"Gojyo, my face is about three inches higher," the woman replied, knowing without even looking where the man's eyes were.

"Says you." the man replied, eyebrow arched.

"Damn right!" Doku cut in, putting his younger brother in a stranglehold and giving him a noogie of death. "Show a little courtesy to the lady, huh?"

"Owowowowowow!!!!!"

"That's enough." All three regained their composure as the demon lord entered and called them to attention. "I have decided that Yaone will also go with us to see those two today."

"Yes, my lo- Excuse me?" The woman asked, surprised.

"Is this decision based on our conversation this morning?" Doku asked.

"Yes," Kougaiji replied. "Yaone, despite the desire I feel to lock you in your room for disobeying me, I want you to accompany me. Doku told me everything you told him about going out last night, and it seems he was serious about killing these other two."

"But, my lord, he made the same threat to me."

"I do not believe he will go through with it."

"You're calling his bluff?" Goyjo yelled. "With Yaone's life?" If there was one thing in this world he couldn't stand…

"Relax, Gojyo," Kou tried to calm the fellow redhead. "You two will be a mile off, on flying dragons. If I," he began, then looked at the woman, and amended his statement. "If we are unable to subdue them, one of us will set off a flash bomb. That will be your signal to intervene."

The three nodded their obedience.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"My, it's Lord Kougaiji himself. We should feel honored." The raven-haired demon peered down with his companion at the two new arrivals.

"Hon… ored…" the teen sounded out the word from his tree branch.

"It's not an important word, really."

"Are you done mocking me?" Kougaiji asked the two.

"Mock… ing.."

"The same as 'teasing.'"

"Ok."

The vine-covered man jumped down in front of Yaone. "You remember what I said to you last night." He wasn't asking, but still, the woman nodded. "The other two are nearby," he continued.

Before Yaone could respond, Kou answered. "They are not your concern, nor is Yaone. I was the one requesting assistance and you responded by threatening my subordinates."

The dark-haired man's eyes didn't even move from the woman before him. "Your name is Yaone. Lovely."

The woman blushed. Kougaiji's features twisted into anger, hatred, and to the vine covered demon's delight, jealousy. He leapt to strike at the other, but the mysterious demon dodged the attack easily.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You son of a bitch. You don't get to tell me when to die!" the demon yelled before self-destructing.

'I don't get to tell him when to die, so he self-destructs right when I'm about to kill him anyway? How stupid,' Sanzo thought. 'But then again, you usually don't see such loyalty so low in the chain…'

"Who… who are you?" the monk in training asked, still on his hands and knees from mourning his friends. " He said… You've spilt blood. You dare take refuge in our temple with an unclean soul?!?! Regardless of the reason, the act of taking a life is blasphemy against Budda!!!"

"Do you really believe what you're saying?" Sanzo asked calmly. "How can you believe that after watching so many of you friends die? If you're looking for a shortcut to God, you're welcome to join them."

Yo looked at the scene before him. Indeed, many of those whom he'd called 'friend' lay before him as corpses. 'Is… is it possible…. we…. we… were wrong…..'

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The next morning, the boy barely caught the blonde before he left the temple. "Great Sanzo! Lord Sanzo! Please!"

The man in question turned to look at the boy. " What?"

"When your journey is completed, could you visit this temple again? I'd like it… if you could teach me… what was the game you were playing with the servants…? Mahjong!"

'I did get through to him,' the man thought gratefully. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Lord Sanzo."

'Tch," Sanzo thought. 'I should have known that kid's voice wasn't whoever's calling me. They sound completely different.' For a while, the unknown voice had sounded quite desperate, the monk had even lost sleep over it's yelling. Now, the voice still called, but at the pace it had started at. As if the owner had found some balance, but still wanted him to find him. 'I just have to hope I find them in this journey,' he thought, lighting a cigarette. 'Then I'll kill two birds with one stone.'


End file.
